I have to totally disagree with those who have said that the lyrical content of Pet Sounds is adolescent. It's one of the most mature, honest albums ever made. As for Sgt. Pepper, I love it too, but for different reasons. Mostly because it's so musically appealing to me. But to say that Pet Sounds is immature is just preposterous to me.

As we're discussing about the greatest albums, I'd like to share my Top 20 list.

1. Rubber Soul (The Beatles)2. Revolver (The Beatles)3. Odessey And Oracle (The Zombies)4. Forever Changes (Love)5. Who's Next (The Who)6. Let It Bleed (The Rolling Stones)7. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)8. Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane)9. Younger Than Yesterday (The Byrds)10. Abbey Road (The Beatles)11. Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys)12. Tommy (The Who)13. Sticky Fingers (The Rolling Stones)14. Mr. Tambourine Man (The Byrds)15. The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)16. Arthur (The Kinks)17. The Doors (The Doors)18. White Album (The Beatles)19. Beggars Banquet (The Rolling Stones)20. The Who Sell Out (The Who)

Logged

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

nimrod

I agree with much of what Peter Bell says. I don't think you can really compare these albums. I hated Pet Sounds for a long time. I couldn't get through it, until I decided I was going to figure out what was great about it... I got it. Now, I have to say it is a favorite of mine. Favorite over any Beatles album? NO!!!

How can you really even compare one album against another? The only way you really could do it would be in the following situation...

Band "A" records a great album (great in the aspect that many enjoy it). Band "B" decides they want to record the same songs and put their interpretation into those songs. Band "C" does the same thing as Band "B". You can not compare Band "B" or "C" to Band "A". Band "A" is the originator and nothing compares to them because they did it first. You could compare Band "B" and Band "C" albums because they are derivative, and attempting to accomplish the same thing, an interpretation of Band "A" album.

Pet Sounds, Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper were all trying to accomplish different things. Four albums, four different purposes. None was trying to sound like the other. Brian Wilson has plainly stated that Rubber Soul (American Version) is what influenced him. Paul McCartney has said that Pet Sounds influenced him. They wanted to make something (with their respective bands) that would be more ground breaking than the previous. Brian wasn't trying to do a "new" Rubber Soul, as Paul was not trying to do a "new" Pet Sounds.

Maybe a better way of putting this would be "Which do you prefer?"

Do yourself a favor enjoy each on the own merits. If you don't like one or the other, sit down, un-distracted (with no other noise, book, magazine, telephone, computer, etc.) and listen, maybe with headphones, and figure out why each album is so good. Yeah, figure it out. It make even take some work. You won't regret it.

As we're discussing about the greatest albums, I'd like to share my Top 20 list.

1. Rubber Soul (The Beatles)2. Revolver (The Beatles)3. Odessey And Oracle (The Zombies)4. Forever Changes (Love)5. Who's Next (The Who)6. Let It Bleed (The Rolling Stones)7. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)8. Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane)9. Younger Than Yesterday (The Byrds)10. Abbey Road (The Beatles)11. Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys)12. Tommy (The Who)13. Sticky Fingers (The Rolling Stones)14. Mr. Tambourine Man (The Byrds)15. The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)16. Arthur (The Kinks)17. The Doors (The Doors)18. White Album (The Beatles)19. Beggars Banquet (The Rolling Stones)20. The Who Sell Out (The Who)

A very nice list!Great to see the two Kinks albums on there - I would have both of those in my favourites list as well.

I'm glad that you liked the list. I love the Kinks, they're one of my Top 5 favourite bands.

What's happening Hombre_de_ningun_lugar! How's the day treating you today? I love THE KINKS also! In my opinion, Ray Davies should rank as one of the all-time greatest frontmen Rock n' Roll ever produced. Hey, where's LOLA VERSUS POWERMAN AND THE MONEYGOROUND PART ONE album on your list? I love the song "Lola!" Do you know what the song "Lola" is about? Its a true story too. Take care.

What's happening Hombre_de_ningun_lugar! How's the day treating you today? I love THE KINKS also! In my opinion, Ray Davies should rank as one of the all-time greatest frontmen Rock n' Roll ever produced. Hey, where's LOLA VERSUS POWERMAN AND THE MONEYGOROUND PART ONE album on your list? I love the song "Lola!" Do you know what the song "Lola" is about? Its a true story too. Take care.

Hi BeatlesForever, my day is great, thanks for asking, and yours?

I know "Lola" is about transvestism (!), what else can you add?

The album Lola may be somewhere in my Top 50 list, I think. I can give you my Top 6 Kinks albums list if you want to:

My day is going great on my day off, thanks for asking. I also have Saturday and Sunday off so its a three day weekend for me. Great list Hombre_de_ningun_lugar! What else can I add to the story of "Lola?" The song pretty much tells the story. THE KINKS and the roadie went to a bar in Soho and the roadie fell for a girl that was really a man. The band laughed their a*s off so much, that Ray Davies decided to write a song about it. What do you know? Take care.

My day is going great on my day off, thanks for asking. I also have Saturday and Sunday off so its a three day weekend for me. Great list Hombre_de_ningun_lugar! What else can I add to the story of "Lola?" The song pretty much tells the story. THE KINKS and the roadie went to a bar in Soho and the roadie fell for a girl that was really a man. The band laughed their a*s off so much, that Ray Davies decided to write a song about it. What do you know? Take care.

Well, I didn't know it was a true story. Thanks for the info!

By the way, the album title "Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround" doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

By the way, the album title "Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround" doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

Oh yeah, its a true story indeed! Ray Davies must have been on a drug binge when he came up with the title LOLA VS. POWERMAN AND THE MONEYGOROUND for their 1970 album. The music world should make an animated cartoon based on the album title and Lola, that should be interesting. Take care.